'Not Mentally There': Delta Flight Makes Emergency Landing In Texas After Passenger Hits Man, Tries To Access Cockpit

A Delta Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing at a Texas airport after a passenger allegedly punched a man in the head mid-flight. Witnessing such "unruly behavior," Delta Flight 2557 rerouted to Houston's Hobby Airport within 17 minutes of departure.

Reports said that the flight landed back at the Texas airport at around 5:25 am on Wednesday. The plane authorities in a statement revealed that passengers' safety is crucial to them, and they have a zero-tolerance policy for unruly behavior.

According to a report in CNN, the passenger stood up and attempted to access the cockpit. The passenger is believed to have been suffering from a mental health issue and behaved strangely. Witnessing the man's uncanny behavior, the flight decided to fly back. The aircraft carrying 85 passengers and five crew members were disgusted to witness such "unruly behavior".

Co-Passenger Narrates The Incident

In an interview with 11Alive, passenger Josh Lemastus said the man suddenly bumped into his shoulder and started wailing on his head. "I'm just sitting there, and a guy walks aggressively by me and aggressively back, and he bumps into my shoulder and starts wailing on my head," Lemastus added. The man started yelling at the boy behind Lemastus, "And kind of like in tongues. "And then everyone assumed that he was just kind of not mentally there."

Emergency Vehicles, Medical Assistance..

Following the unexpected chaos, the pilot insisted the police and the medical experts meet him after the landing of the flight. The pilot further added that the unruly passenger was put in the cuffs after he attempted to assault a fellow passenger. So we would like that other passenger checked out," the pilot told the air traffic controller.

The flight was accompanied by emergency vehicles to the gate. Following this, the police followed the aircraft to the ramp, the ATC said.

Delta Airlines Issues Apology

Delta Airlines issued a statement apologising to the customers for facing such a bad experience and delay in their travels. The flight re-departed and arrived in Atlanta roughly an hour and a half behind schedule.